Public Housing Today

Release Date:

September 1986 (44 Pages)

Posted Date:

March 27, 2012

Public housing is in many ways a microcosm of America: it can be found in all of the nation's largest cities, in many of its suburbs, and in thousands of its small towns. Its architectural styles, while always constrained to incorporate economical construction, have changed through the years to reflect the public's changing thinking about design and the scale and style best for neighborhood development.

The people in public housing, while nearly all relatively poor, mirror the trends and problems in society at large. Many of them are old people who present formidable social service needs as they grow older. Many are single parents who face the same barriers in seeking a job (discrimination, lack of good transportation and child care) as low income women generally face. Many are interested in feeling a part of a community where they live, having a voice in policy at their local schools, living with assurance of personal safety even in the middle of a city.